posted on November 10, 2000 11:52:05 AM
Hi all, I had put up a 25 dollar gift certificate on Ebay. And started the bidding at 15 dollars. I recieved a email from someone interested in bidding but she wanted to know why I had started the bidding so low.
I had thought that she was talking about another auction I had going that started at a dollar. So I was suprised to see that it was the one I had started at 15. I am assuming she don't have much experience with auctions. I am also assuming she may be leary. But I do have over 100 feedback all postive. But I have never had a bidder ask me that. I wonder what she thought that I should have started it at.
posted on November 10, 2000 12:19:09 PM
Well I understand Auctions I have been Selling and buying at online auctions for some time.
I can not under stand how one can pay $25 for a gift cert and have a start bid of $15 either.
also know this cert could have been given to you as a free gift from a store for a purchase of X amount as part of a promotion.
I to would wonder how you got a $25 cert for $15 or less to Im not sure I would ask you about it just bid what I was will to pay more then likely the $25 face value useing proxy and let it ride.
Some buyers are just have to question everything but I believe most of these buyer to are meaning no harm just want your source http://www.Dman-N-Company.com
posted on November 10, 2000 03:59:00 PM
It's all about the strange and wonderful world of auction mentality. If you start it at $25.00 there is no chance for a bargain-thus no bids. However, if you "start it low, and let it go" it may very well exceed the $25.00. It happens all the time. We own and operate a live auction here in Florida and just try to get them to open the bid at the value price...never happens. Go figure....
Teresa [email protected]
posted on November 10, 2000 04:46:50 PM
A $25 gift certificate is "worth" $25 so to some people it seems like auctioning off a $100 bill for $75.
I have had certificates expire because I couldn't find anything I wanted, I have purchased "something" just to use one up, and I have been stuck with a certificate to such an expensive place that the certificate didn't come close to covering anything in the store. Most stores won't let you return them for cash, and they don't give cash as change if you buy some minimal item. In each of these cases, I would have gladly taken a "loss" in exchange for cash I could use anywhere I wanted (like paying a bill).
Your potential bidder probably didn't think of the reasons why you might be willing to sell at less than face value.
posted on November 10, 2000 07:03:47 PM
Actually I bought the certificate off of Ebay with the intentions of using it while I was in Florida on vacation.I had bought a lot of certificates off of Ebay for this reason. I came home with quite a few that I did not use. So I decided to resell them. I think I payed about 23 dollars for it. As for the starting price that was to encourage bidding. I have been watching quite a few auctions and it seems to me that I am seeing a lot of 1 dollar starting bids. And they are getting bids,but when they are starting bidding at 5 dollars they get none.Go figure, because it started at a dollar they will bid up to 8 dollars on it. But starting the same thing at 5 dollars, no bids.
